Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-02-25

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Arguments that had already been referren 10.
he had not heard any insinuation from any
gentleman who had spoken that ne was no'
disposed 10 pay reasonable compensation 10
our Judges He wished to paw pnoic ser'
ants full compensation, and u was upo" ,"~'
lido. he based his vote on this matter. zen
tlamep could not be charged with eating
down the salaries of these judges, or win
depriving them of just Compensated "nen
they were re- siving double as mucn as 'ney
received during the war, at TINS ~hen
prices were nearly twice rs high as thev are
nov and now that business was very much
reducad too. lie cnutrovertsd the idea that
these Judges were employed all the ume.
Lawyers knew better than that. compar-
;.on was made between their salaries ana
those paid in other States; but they were not
parallel cases. The courts were constituted
differently He would like to recons'itute
this court by establishing courts IN eacn
county 1--WE already had them in four) ana
establishing a law court. the highest court,
composed of three eminent judges.
Mr.. Russell of Fayette would not bore
gentlemen with long speech. They neeu
not be frightened on that account, because ne
was probably the most frightened man on the
floor He was not constituted tor addressing
public audiences He represented farm-
| ing district, was farmer among farmers
! and he knew that this proposed taxation
would come heavy on them, at a time when
they were straining every nerve to get out OF
debt. He had not hesrd thar these judges
petitioned for this increase, or that they
would refuse to work at The present salary
i He believed they got more comforts and lux
uries than the laboring classes OF the State
of Maine. He hoped this matter of taxation
would be taken into consideration and that
we should have some regard tor that cisss IN
the State that have not been legislated for in
this House this wiuter-the class of poor
/ farmers and la6orers that are nov striving
with their utmost to get rid OF their burden
some debt
M. Clark of Calais believed the business
men and interests of the State demanded
protection by paving our Judges fair com
pensation for their labor. Since the legislat-
ure had met it had voted appropriation after
appropriation, salary after salary, and yet
i last week they voted against giving this small
increase in salary. which seemed to him co
! be the most important question of salaries
that had come before this legislature Yes
terday this House had appropriated $1,000 for
beef raising and mutton growing and dairv-
| ing interest of the State. If that bill had
been properly entitled it would have been
entitled bill in the interests of horse racing
in the State of Maine. And yet gentlemen
refused to vote this increased salary 0a the
plea of economy. All over this country there
was ankle because the people believed tina,
there was u moneyed arstocracv getting
contrJl; and vet when we vot d q low salary
for high office We took the very shortes
method to secure a moneyed aristocracy il
power. When they said to the judges Of
this court that they would not paw them a
ia AM ar 3ai1 IN fha pr
men of the State, men of wealth-you cat
afford to take the office, sir, although you
may not have single quality that eBtIlet
you to fill thu position.
| Mr.. Bishop of Hermon said that as one
who voted last week to raise these salaries,
he wished to say that he had thought the
matter over, and as he had made up his mind
that Legislation for the poor was not popular
in this Legislature he should change his vote
| The only chance left to legisate for the
peopl, would be to economic now and cui
down these extravagant appropriations.
Mr. Noble of Lewiston thought there was
q meritorious side to this question, and tina,
gentlemen could divorce i, from everything
else, look upon its merits, discuss its merits.
keep our minds down to the merits of it, and
decide upon its merits. He wished to call
gentlemen back to the maxim that he had
suggested when this question was be-
ore under discussiOn-the best is the
cheapest. He wanted to know 4
gentlemen if that was not the rule they en-
ployed in their actions in everyday life
| Did it not commend itself to their good
sense. He illustrated this in the Speaker of
this House. If gentlemen found that the
salary of that office was too small to retain in
! his position such Il man as now filled it,
man OF ability, of intelligence, with that
peculiar trained faculty for carrying on the
business OF this House,-woud they for a
moment hesitate to increase it? So il WAS
with our Supreme CourI, the highest tribunal
in the State, the tribunal that had in its
charge the life, the property interests, and
the liberty of the citizens of this State
Mr. Dow of Portland was little surprised
at the argument OF his friend from East Ma
cfias that these gentlemen were not EN-.
ployed ali the time If gentlemen in a BUSH
ness house should employ n man ,-saying to
him that they did not have work to keep him
busy all the time, but wanted him to be on
hand from IN the morning until at night.
and should then want to pay him less sala-
ry because he had not worked all during those
honrs, would 1t not appear absurd. How
much more so WAS 1t in this case. Gentle
men in this hall could recollect the dark days
in the history Of this State few years ago.
1
looked iercely into each others eyes,-and
the question was whether we were or were
not to go down into anarchy. An appeal
was made to the Supreme Court, court
composed of gentlemen of both parties, aud
he thanked God that they were honest, able,
fearless men. Contention and confusion
, stormed around them, but they did not hest.
tate to do their duty. From that dav to this,
that court has been pursued relentlesslv and
repeatedly stabbed in the back by certain
men who by its decision were deprived of
their honors and emoluments. 1t seemed to
| him that it was due to the members of that
court, it was due to the gentlemen here. AS
representatives of the citizens of the State, to
| see that no injustice was done to those men
| by their enemies. We on, LIT to at least 80
provide for them in such fair honorable and
| liberal manner as would at least leave them
no anxiety for the future of their wives and
children.
| The question being taken on the motion TO
recede, it was carried by the following vote !:
YEA-Messrs.Adams,A Allen, Aver, Barker Billings.
Bradish Bradley. Chase of Edgecomb, Clark of Ban
Cloutier. Gushing. Dawson, Dickey, Dow, Eeils En-
gel, Ferguson, Floyd Fogg, Clifford Glover, Grindie
Hamilton of Cumberland, Hamilton Of Gouldsboro
Harding OF Durham, Harding of Gorham, Hawkes.
Hayden, Head, Hersey, Hobson, Hsrigan, Kidder'
Knapp, Libby Of Mattawamkeag, Lttleheld Of Pros
Lyons. MAnley. Moore OF Deering, Moore
OF Gardiner. Noble. Packard, Pattangall, Poole.
Powers, PHrintOn OF Bowdoin Randall Kicker
tooerts OF brunswick. Roberts Of Dexter, Ryder